PodcastFrom NFL: The Insiders
The Insiders Podcast: Patrick Mahomes contract extension, Lamar Jackson contract negotiations, and Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams joins the Insiders
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43 min
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Jun 11, 2026
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Thu, June 11, 2026
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Full transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. The Seattle Seahawks say they're not running it back, they're running it forward.
0:06A look at what that looks like coming up in a live report from Steve Weiss today from Seahawks camp.
0:12And who wins the starting jobs at some of the most hotly contested running back spots so you can get them on your fantasy roster?
0:20Michael F Florio has answers to those questions for you.
0:23And Jalen Hurts and the Eagles back at work without a certain big target.
0:27So just how much changes in Philly? That and so much more coming up on this edition of The Insiders.
0:33Hey everybody, welcome to this Wednesday edition of The Insiders.
0:36Patrick Claibon here in the NFL LA newsroom. These are your insiders, Mike Garofalo, Ian Rappaport, and Judy Batista.
0:41Ian had some news today, which is what we will start with.
0:45New right now coming into the NFL LA newsroom per Ian and ESPN's Adam Schefter.
0:50The Kansas City Chiefs adding two years to Patrick Mahomes contract, which can take his total value up to over $500.
0:56$500 million chairman and CEO of the Chiefs Clark Hunt said in part in a statement.
1:01Patrick is a generational talent and an elite human being says he's excited to continue to have him lead their team into the future.
1:08So a lot of new money on this. Ian, how'd this deal come together?
1:12Well, this is something that has been in the works for the last several weeks and months for the Kansas City Chiefs
1:19to reward their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. You went over the numbers and they are eye-popping, but they are not the entire
1:25story in this contract extension that I reported with, along with Adam Schefter.
1:29First, the numbers though. First deal ever in NFL history to total over a half a billion dollars, $504.75 million over the next eight seasons.
1:37A deal that runs through 2033, nearly $240 million in new money.
1:40And the new money average, the average new money is $64 million, creating a new benchmark in this deal done by his
1:47agent, Chris Cabot and Brett Veach, the Kansas City Chiefs general manager.
1:51$522 million. It could be with incentives. All Patrick, considering that Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL.
1:57We have seen him on the field. He looks like he is doing incredibly well.
2:01This is a big time vote of confidence health wise and otherwise for their superstar.
2:06Yeah, the folks are thinking at home, let me get that money.
2:09It's an easy process. You just got to win three Super Bowls, get MVPs in all of them and have two season
2:16long MVPs, a relatively simple thing that gets you on this list.
2:20One of the largest contracts in all of sports.
2:22Juan Soto's 15 years, $765. Some of these fully guaranteed.
2:25Shohei gets 10 for $700 million. It's really an accomplishment that Patrick Mahomes makes his way onto the list.
2:31Value could be up to $504 million. Speaking of two-time MVPs, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens at minicamp, adding Declan Doyle's name
2:38to the list of teams, getting new offensive coordinators and getting glowing praise from players this offseason.
2:43I believe I took a lot of strides in the right direction this past week.
2:47It's a different system that I'm accustomed to being in.
2:50And I feel like there's going to be a lot of explosiveness going on this year because the way Declan Doyle plays
2:57in his creativity with his mind and how detailed he is, it's like mind blowing.
3:01So I'm excited. I'm being challenged right now. It's a new system.
3:05A lot of terminology within this system. Nothing really transitioned over from the last system just like before because we had certain things.
3:12When we were with Monkey, we brought some things from zero system, what I was comfortable with, what a lot of guys were comfortable with.
3:19But in this system, it's different. It's all deck.
3:22And I feel like everybody's hands on. We dialed in.
3:25I feel like our coaches is like one of us in a sense, you know, because we had, you know, Coach Jesse
3:32here back like 2018 and stuff like that early on.
3:35And he was like, he wasn't new. He wasn't new to me, but he wasn't really new.
3:40But I really didn't see him much. But now I'm seeing him every day and then like how he coaching and how,
3:46you know, how on point he is with, you know, the schemes, schematics of the defense.
3:51It's like, bro, it's awesome to have. It's awesome to have this feeling right now.
3:56And Mike, we'll start with you. It's not just Lamar.
3:59A lot of guys have glowing praise for Declan Doyle there with the Ravens.
4:03Yeah, and it started, it's been a quick ascent for Declan Doyle.
4:07And it started last year with the Bears, Ben Johnson getting the bulk of the credit in Chicago and rightly so for
4:13what he's done as an offensive mind over the last few seasons, going back to his time as the coordinator for the Lions.
4:20But Declan Doyle, high praise from those that have worked with him, those that have worked alongside him or gotten to know
4:27him through his time in the NFL period. This is, I mean, you're looking for the next offensive mind who's going to
4:33be on a rocket ship into a head coach.
4:36This is the opportunity for him. And then partly because of how selective he was.
4:41I mean, he had interest from a number of teams as an offensive coordinator candidate, but he wanted to make sure that it was the right situation.
4:49Actually turned down some opportunities and this one felt right to him.
4:52So yeah, Lamar, if it's blowing your mind, he's blown a lot of people's minds and it's not just going to be
4:59about doing things to make Lamar comfortable. It's getting Lamar in tune with what he wants to do offensively and sort of merge that.
5:06And obviously you want to make sure you're doing things that are going to make your quarterback or at least take advantage
5:13of his skill set as much as possible. But this is one of the more fascinating pairings in the league this season,
5:19because this could really result in some explosive things offensively in Baltimore.
5:23Judy. Well, this team needed a refresh on offense.
5:26The entire team underperformed last season. Obviously they missed the playoffs, but the offense really underperformed.
5:30They were 27th in passing offense. They averaged just 6.4 yards per pass attempt.
5:35Now, a big piece of that, of course, is that Lamar only played 13 games.
5:39So anytime Lamar is not on the field, the offense is not going to perform up to where you think they are.
5:46But there was more than that. Even when he was on the field, they were simply not as explosive.
5:51They were not getting the kind of chunk plays that you see really successful offenses do in the NFL.
5:57Now, that is what they are clearly looking for.
6:00Here's another piece of it. Who emerges deeper down the depth chart on wide receivers beyond Zay Flowers and Rashad Bateman?
6:06Who emerges as the number three receiver? They've got some young guys on the roster.
6:11Will they emerge? Will they seize the job? Or could they go out at some point in the summer and get one
6:17of the big name veteran wide receivers who are still available on the market?
6:21We'll see how it falls into place. But certainly there are very big expectations for the Baltimore Ravens team generally and especially for that offense.
6:29Expectations for things to perhaps be a little different this time around.
6:33Ian, with the contract, we just talked about Patrick Mahomes getting years added on.
6:37How different can things be for the Ravens and Lamar Jackson this summer?
6:41Right. Patrick Mahomes gets a record-setting, groundbreaking contract extension.
6:43Of course, the next question has to be, how close can Lamar Jackson get to his contract extension?
6:49Here's the thing. Lamar Jackson's situation is different for a couple reasons.
6:52First of all, he's got two years left on his contract, making about $52 million this year.
6:58They're not really thirsty for a new contract. The team has already restructured his deal for cap reasons, and I would say
7:04not always, but generally when a team restructures a player's deal, you don't often see a player then get a contract extension.
7:11It can happen. Certainly the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson have discussed it.
7:15You just don't often see it. And then what Judy and Mike have talked about, a little bit of a down year for the Baltimore Ravens offense.
7:23Was fuller, Mar, too. Availability wasn't great. Didn't play great.
7:26Not the kind of year you want to go into and then discuss a new contract.
7:31All of which is to say, would not be surprised if he goes out and kills it this year and then cashes
7:37in during the next offseason rather than this coming offseason.
7:40Yeah, 62 touchdowns, 11 interceptions the last two years.
7:43We'll see what number Lamar gets close to. Let's go elsewhere in the division.
7:47It's Coach Lamar just talked about Todd Munkin, now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, saying earlier this week, after minicamp,
7:54he's still not going to announce the starting quarterback.
7:56So the battle continues between Shador Sanders and Deshaun Watson, both of them speaking about that competition this week.
8:02I think the way how y'all look at things is different than how we look at things.
8:07We look at coming to practice every day being the best player we can be as an individual and as a good teammate.
8:14Y'all look at it as like a competition. It's like I don't really, that's not really nothing I'm just focused on.
8:20I'm focused on developing as a player, like doing everything, getting as comfortable as I can in the offense, in the scheme,
8:27and playing with that confidence I had. So I think that's all I'm really looking for and trying to improve every day, whether it's mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually.
8:35Like I'm just trying to be a better person every day.
8:39And wherever that falls into place, it'll fall into place.
8:42Anytime you get the opportunity to play in the National Football League is an honor.
8:46So, you know, I don't take it for granted.
8:49You know, I work hard to do what I need to do each and every day to just try to put out
8:56the best product I can on the field. And certainly two different ways to view this, the growth of Shadur Sanders versus,
9:02I guess, the antithesis of the kind of step back to Sean Watson.
9:06So how do you view this quarterback circumstance right now, Judy?
9:09Well, first of all, I think it's really interesting that Todd Munkin, who had been saying all spring that he was going
9:16to name a starting quarterback for the season by the end of the spring, is not going to do it.
9:22So that obviously suggests neither of these two have separated themselves in the competition.
9:26This was the first time we've heard from Deshaun Watson since he was injured in 2024.
9:31He said a few really interesting things, especially related to his health.
9:35First of all, he said he feels 100 percent.
9:37He thinks he's 100 percent healthy right now. He also said he has not been he had not been fully healthy since
9:44early in the 2023 season when he first hurt his shoulder, that he had not been OK since then.
9:50So that obviously tells you he thinks that impacted his performance.
9:53He also said he feels really comfortable in Todd Munkin's offense, in part because it puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback position.
10:00He said that is what he had in Houston.
10:03He, of course, thrived in Houston. That was before the trade.
10:06Back in 2020, he was asked, wouldn't it be great to be able to replicate that 2020 season?
10:12He says, I'm not trying to do that. He was also asked, where would you like to be in 2027?
10:18Where do you envision yourself? And he said, I am.
10:21He sort of laughed and he said, I'm just trying to get through an entire season.
10:25I just want to be able to play a full 17 game season.
10:29So certainly this competition is maybe closer right now than Todd Munkin anticipated it was going to be.
10:35It's going to go all the way into training camp.
10:38And going back to what you said, Judy, about so much being put on the quarterback, that does bode well for Deshaun Watson.
10:45And the reality is, to me at least, if Deshaun Watson is a Cleveland Browns starting quarterback to begin this season, that is OK.
10:52And in some ways, that's kind of the best case scenario because you still don't know exactly what you have in Shador.
10:58Him sitting and waiting and learning. He's got some playing time, but him sitting, waiting and learning is not the worst thing in the world.
11:06And you really would like to see what the future holds for Deshaun Watson.
11:10And he mentioned some of the reasons why we have not seen a lot from him.
11:15He has not been healthy, certainly not lately. And when he has played, he has been hampered by some of those injuries.
11:22How good can he be? And can he be the quarterback that the Cleveland Browns thought they traded for like five years ago?
11:28The answer is maybe. Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised in the end if he ends up as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback.
11:35And if he plays himself into being the starter for 2027, well, that only adds to the fascinating situation for Cleveland, Mike.
11:42Deshaun Watson was asked today about Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Browns, saying that they had the swing and a miss.
11:48And here's my favorite part. He says, one of my favorite baseball players I've been watching is Bryce Harper.
11:54Ian, take that. Ian's a Mets fan. Sometimes he swings, but he stands back up, gets another opportunity.
11:59I'm not done rubbing it in. And he hits a home run.
12:03Done a lot of that against the Mets. Yes.
12:06Yes. Yes. He does make hard. But that's what Watson plans on doing.
12:10Back sort of against the wall at this point.
12:12I mean, it's been. Look, there was the trade, the big guaranteed contract, which didn't sit well with the rest of the
12:19league and owners who were worried that there would now be a precedent that was set.
12:24Obviously, that one was discussed. There was the off the field situation that a lot of people still have not forgotten.
12:30There's the Achilles injury. And then there's the owner saying what he said.
12:34You don't want to hear that if you're one of the players on the team, particularly if you're the quarterback.
12:40So Deshaun Watson may be taking a step away, not through his own volition, but because of the torn Achilles and maybe trying to reset here.
12:48This is it. I mean, this is his last opportunity.
12:51And frankly, Patrick, I don't know that anybody thought he would get this opportunity.
12:55Maybe including Jimmy Haslam, who then backtracked that at one point and said, well, we're not necessarily done with him.
13:01But at one point, it didn't make it seem that they were done with him.
13:05Let's see. I mean, it's one of the fascinating stories in that Cleveland Browns quarterback room.
13:10And there are plenty of them. Yeah. Judy mentioned the injuries, but he was at or near the bottom in almost every
13:17statistical category during his last tenure as a starter for the Cleveland Browns.
13:21We will leave the AFC North and go over to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
13:26Starting their move forward again. Mike Mack says they're not trying to run it back.
13:30They're pushing forward. This is a new team with a new season and an opportunity for us to look at the Seahawks
13:37as they got their mandatory minicamp going on today with our Steve Weiss, who joins us from Ritten, Washington today.
13:43And I want to say now that I get a chance to see you, Steve, congratulations on your induction into the Black
13:49College Football Hall of Fame class of 2026. Glad to see you.
13:53How different are things going to be as these guys are trying to now win another Super Bowl?
13:58Well, first off, thanks a lot, Patrick, for you saying that.
14:02I really do appreciate everything that the network has done in regards to that.
14:06Let's start off how things went in minicamp today.
14:09Today was a jog through just a quick hour long workout.
14:12But when you talk about things being different, the one new element is rookie running back Jadarian Price.
14:17And even though it was a jog through, there were times you saw him stick his foot in the ground and the suddenness was there.
14:25Head coach Mike McDonald told me all offseason, you've seen the athletic things that he can do.
14:30And especially what caught their attention is how he catches the ball.
14:34He only had 15 catches in three seasons at Notre Dame, but he's showing an awful lot in that regard.
14:40Now, they wrap things up at their minicamp on Thursday.
14:43But the big thing isn't the final practice. It is Thursday night when they have their ring ceremony where they'll be getting their Super Bowl rings.
14:50They're trying to keep the details of that very private.
14:53But what won't be private, guys, and this is more of the spoils of them being Super Bowl champions, is they're going
15:00to be on HBO's Hard Knocks this year. And the Hard Knocks crews have been in the team facility the past few
15:07days, preparing for when the team comes back to training camp in late June and preparing all parties for what they can expect.
15:13Yeah, part of winning that Super Bowl was how great the defense played.
15:17A lot of folks, myself included, felt Von Witherspoon had a chance to be the Super Bowl MVP with how he played.
15:24Does he have a chance? How close are they in contract talks for him to get a new deal and stay in Seattle?
15:31Well, I was told that they were working on it by someone here with the Seahawks, and they seem pretty optimistic that
15:37maybe by the time they get to training camp, they can get something done.
15:42Remember, Witherspoon, who's kind of that multi-pronged hybrid defender, has been a pro bowler in each of his first three seasons.
15:48He was the number five overall draft pick in 2023, and he's seen the number 20 draft pick in that draft.
15:54His teammate Jackson Smith and Jigba sign a four-year, $168 million extension this offseason.
15:59Now, those numbers won't be that high, but if you're looking for comps, go to Los Angeles where the Rams just gave
16:05Trent McDuffie a four-year, $124 million extension, and also maybe the $30 million APY type of contracts that the Colts saw as
16:12Gardner or Derek Stingley from the Texans received a year ago.
16:15Yeah, a lot of marquee corners, and the Seahawks had to let go of their other corner as well in free agency,
16:22so we'll see what the push is like for Witherspoon.
16:25Steve Weiss there with the Seattle Seahawks again. Congratulations, Steve.
16:28We've got a one-on-one interview with the big cat, Leonard Williams, and Steve coming up here on The Insiders.
16:33Show rolling on, just what are things going to be like with A.J.
16:37Brown and the New England Patriots? Glowing praise from one of the most notable, important players on the Patriots team is coming
16:44up, as well as Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts.
16:47He has big plans in Indianapolis. How long can he be there?
16:50He tells you how long he wants to be there when we come back on The Insiders right here on NFL Network.
16:57We are back here on The Insiders on NFL Network.
17:00Love launching new segments. Here is the thesis behind Rapid Reacts because we have two valuable resources here.
17:06We have this newsroom and a whole bunch of sound and information that come in, and we have our insiders.
17:12So what we're going to do is listen to some sound and have our insiders react and contextualize the things that you
17:18hear on TV because that's what we'll do. We'll start in Indianapolis.
17:22Jonathan Taylor going into the final year of his deal.
17:25The Colts coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons for their running back, averaging over 1,500 yards rushing.
17:30But he has goals that are far more than just statistical.
17:33I'd definitely love to be a Colt for life.
17:36I think I've already expressed that to them throughout the years.
17:39Just from college coming here, you grow up in college a little bit to a young man, and then now growing into
17:46like an adult, this is like a third home of mine.
17:49So I've definitely expressed that, and hopefully they feel the same because this is a special place.
17:54Not every building is like this, and I've heard some stories now, especially from guys coming from other places, and it's not like this everywhere.
18:02Jonathan Taylor certainly has grown up and been through it in Indianapolis, had a very contentious contract situation several years ago, now
18:08entering the final year of his deal for the Indianapolis Colts, says he wants to be a member of the Colts for life.
18:15In order for that to happen, he's going to need a new deal, set to make about $13 or so million this year.
18:22Obviously wants a new deal. The fact that he showed up is at least a good sign that maybe the Colts will talk to him about it.
18:30No doubt about it. He deserves a new deal.
18:33Meanwhile, for his teammate Alec Pierce, he got a new deal.
18:36Had to go to free agency to get it, but he got a huge $114 million new contract, and then had ankle surgery.
18:43Alec Pierce faces a four- to six-month recovery from ankle surgery, tried to just do rehab, tried to figure it out.
18:49Surgery was the only way they could possibly get him to heal.
18:53He could miss, or say likely miss, the start of training camp.
18:57They believe he will be ready, though, for the season.
19:00That being said, the contract is for the long haul.
19:03Let's go to the Packers. Tucker Kraft, number four in the league in yards after the catch, before he tore his ACL in week nine.
19:10That wasn't just among tight ends. Among everyone, he was number four in the league.
19:15He updates his recovery timeline. Such a big piece of the Packers' offense this week.
19:19Starting the starting camp on the pup and coming off camp, my anticipation is they don't really want us talking about our
19:26injuries and stuff, but with how I feel, I would say I'm going to get all the conditioning I need in camp
19:32to start week one on no pitch count. And it's great news for the Green Bay Packers there.
19:38Now, there's a difference between not being on a pitch count and being 100% all the way back from an injury.
19:44It's going to be within a calendar year. And most athletic trainers or doctors will tell you, no, he's not going to
19:51be 100%, but he'll be close to that. My understanding is this rehab is going extremely well.
19:56We're seeing some rehabs around the league that are not.
19:59So this is a great indication from Tucker Kraft that, again, maybe not 100%, but close enough and not going to be limited come week one.
20:07I agree that's going to be the case. David Bailey taking number two overall by the Jets in this year's draft after a great season at Texas Tech.
20:15And so far, his head coach sees the stuff that he saw when Bailey played for the Red Raiders.
20:21The first step quickness is something that pops off the tape, like immediately.
20:25You do see the moves that he's trying to create.
20:28And this is the time when you want to work on some things that, you know, you might not feel as comfortable with.
20:35This is time to work on those things. So he is working on some of his weaknesses.
20:40But you do see the strong points of what he has.
20:43And I don't ever want him to lose sight of that, you know, of the things that we know that he can do.
20:50But this is the time to work on things that you want to get better at.
20:55And that's what we're focused on with him is, man, let's make sure we use that speed rush that you have, but
21:01also understand that you can rush with power and you have a spin move that can be pretty deadly.
21:07In his arsenal. Well, one thing is clear. They are not going to ease David Bailey.
21:12And Aaron Glenn has come out and said he's going to be a starting outside linebacker when they're in the 3-4.
21:18And when they are using four down linemen, he is going to be a starting defensive end.
21:23So he is going to get the full load.
21:26There were questions coming out of college about how his run defense would be.
21:30Aaron Glenn has said he's got no concerns about his ability to set the edge.
21:35Harrison Phillips said today he flies around so much, you are sure he can fly after other players.
21:40We are going to see a lot of David Bailey this season.
21:44Here's what's new today coming into the NFL LA newsroom.
21:47The Chiefs making some changes to Patrick Mahomes' contract per NFL Network Insider Ian Rappaport and ESPN's Adam Schefter.
21:52They're going to add two years of new money.
21:55Could be worth up to $239 million. Chiefs there tweeting, it's a good day in Chiefs kingdom.
22:00Elsewhere in the AFC in his last action for the Browns, quarterback Deshaun Watson was not very good in the bottom of several categories.
22:07He's in a battle for quarterback, says it's the first time he's been healthy since all the way back in 2023, not
22:14trying to replicate his last successful season, which was back in 2020, says he is a different player.
22:19Malik Nabors' season ended in week four with a torn ACL.
22:23Didn't have the surgery until late October. New head coach, John Harbaugh, updating neighbor status this week.
22:28I wasn't less optimistic before. You know, it's just, like I said, I said, it's a slog.
22:33It's a grind. He's still in the middle of it.
22:36Still, he's probably not in the middle of it now.
22:39He's probably maybe 70% through. I don't know, something like that.
22:42But he's 80%. You know, I'm very hopeful that he'll be back soon.
22:46But I also understand, you know, you come back from a knee, there's going to be, he could be, he'll be back,
22:53and then he'll still be building his way back to where he's, you know, his ultimate full-strength self.
22:58So, but he's doing great. He's doing a great job.
23:01He's made some real good progress in the last few weeks.
23:04Back with Judy Batista. Now you heard Coach Harbaugh there responding to the question.
23:09It still seemed like there were some growing concerns in the area as people saw neighbors.
23:13Seems like a little more positive outlook this time around.
23:16Well, I think it's John Harbaugh trying to be realistic and maybe set expectations a little bit.
23:22He wants to make clear they hope he is back for the start of the season.
23:26But even if Malik Neighbors is on the field for week one, that is not going to be the full Malik Neighbors
23:33that he will be after he has built himself all the way back up.
23:37John Harbaugh saying he's maybe 70% to 80% through with the rehab.
23:41He kept calling it a grind. Tells you he's not all the way there yet.
23:45We're at the end of mandatory minicamp. The thing to watch is how do they bring him along in training camp?
23:52Where is he when they open training camp in late July?
23:55And again, keep in mind, whenever he gets on the field, it is still not going to be the player he will
24:02eventually be when he has built himself all the way back.
24:05Yeah, it's important to set expectations. I think people think back to Adrian Peterson having the most successful ACL recovery of all
24:11time being eight months, expectations do need to be relative.
24:14Let's look elsewhere on the roster. Kayvon Thibodeau getting a ton of trade speculation from outside the facility.
24:20Here's what he's saying when asked about that at the facility this week.
24:24For me, I've never worried about what people think.
24:26I want to be great too. So it's like if it ain't great, trust me, I know.
24:32You know, so as far as like everything around me, like I'm on a mission and I'm aware enough to know what
24:38I got to continue to get better at. And I'm humble enough to say like, hey, help me, you know, help me
24:45find what things I can do to get better or how I can do it.
24:49So it's been great for me, man. I'm happy I'm in a position where it's like, you know, if I go play great, God is good.
24:57If I don't go play great, God is still good.
25:00You know, I've been able to accomplish my dream by being here and now it's just time to go take everything that I deserve.
25:07So Kayvon focused on the things he could control.
25:10Ian Rappaport back with us. Trade possibilities for Kayvon Thibodeau?
25:13Where do things stand right now? My understanding is the trade possibilities stand from slim to none for Kayvon Thibodeau.
25:19Now going into the draft, there certainly were some possibilities as Giants did receive some calls from teams, including the New Orleans Saints.
25:26The Giants had a pretty high price on a young player who's due some money but not a ton of money, wanted
25:33a third rounder for Kayvon Thibodeau, did not get that and basically decided, okay, we are going to keep him.
25:39And I know that because the Saints moved on to go trade for another player.
25:43Then the Giants selected Arvel Reese. They're going to play him off the ball, not on the edge because they have Thibodeau on the edge.
25:51All which to say, a long way around saying, they have plans for Kayvon Thibodeau.
25:55They have plans for all of their super athletic defenders, including Reese, including Thibodeau.
25:59I expect them all to play together this year.
26:02And then whatever happens after that, all sides will figure it out.
26:06And there's a lot of historical precedent for teams that have depth at a particular position and have been able to be
26:12successful, not needing to apply that depth elsewhere, including a team that has gone to a couple of Super Bowls, one of them, the Philadelphia Eagles.
26:20They're back at minicamp this week. The first media availability for Jalen Hurts since the trade of A.J.
26:25Brown. And now, I guess, Jalen Hurts' time to get up there and answer questions about A.J.
26:31Brown, especially considering there was an interview with Maria Taylor where A.J.
26:34Brown said towards the end, they weren't as close as they once were.
26:38What Jalen Hurts had to say in response to that.
26:41I'm not in a place to challenge anyone's perspective on anything.
26:44I mean, you know, seemingly so it was, and that's where I am.
26:48I've always been focused on the collective. I've always put my energy towards that.
26:52And as a leader, I've always put an onus on giving maximum effort to achieve the shared mission we have in the team.
26:59Is there any disappointment about the way his time here ended?
27:03You know, you come into it and you have a sense of pride in how it began and definitely what we were able to accomplish.
27:10You know, and the same thing that I said last time, nothing can take that away.
27:15So for the great things that we did, now it's time to focus on achieving great things with this new iteration of the team.
27:22Back now with Mike Garofalo. Eventually, everyone will stop asking about the relationships.
27:26It's an overall message. Everybody very happy that they won the Super Bowl.
27:30It was a great moment. So football-wise, what changes for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles now?
27:35I would say the good news for Jalen Hurts is no more questions about A.J.
27:39Brown until mid-August, mid to late August, when they have the joint practices with the Patriots up there in Foxborough.
27:45That'll be the next time. At some point, it'll be about, only about Hurts and this offense.
27:50And Sean Mannion is the new offensive coordinator and how it's going to fit and how they're going to merge what Mannion
27:57and that whole Shanahan tree that he's a leaf off of will merge with what Jalen Hurts likes to do and what he's comfortable doing.
28:05And so the next time we talk or hear from Jalen Hurts, I should say next time he talks to the media,
28:11is going to be during training camp when those will be the questions, primarily football questions.
28:16And we'll be watching every single day. We'll be tracking, some of us will be tracking the stats, training camp stats, my
28:23favorite stats, how many times the ball hit the ground, all that good stuff, because we want to see how comfortable he is.
28:29Probably won't see him a bunch in the preseason.
28:32Nick Sirianni hasn't been playing as starters, but that'll be the storyline the next time Jalen Hurts speaks to the media.
28:38Yeah, and not to demean the passing stats from training camp because all those football dorks are drilling into that over and over again because that's it.
28:47That's why we're doing this show. That's why you guys are watching.
28:50We appreciate that. Mike Garofalo on the Philadelphia Eagles.
28:53Let's go to the Seattle Seahawks coming off of their Super Bowl champions.
28:57There's Sam Darnold, the defending champs, holding minicamp today and tomorrow.
29:00On the defensive side, runner-up defensive rookie of the year, Nicky Mianwarri says he's trying to evolve his game.
29:06His teammate, Leonard Williams, going one-on-one with our Steve Weich.
29:09All right, Leonard, can you come out there a little fun, even so you line up like you're going to man up Cooper Cup there in the slot.
29:17But as fun as it may be right now, you are Super Bowl champs, man.
29:22Is there a difference in the approach this offseason than in previous years?
29:26I would say there's no difference. That's something that actually we've been harping on a lot is starting from the ground, just how we did last year.
29:34We talked about climbing that mountain and playing in the death zone, which is like what we harp on our style of
29:40football is playing in the death zone. There's a lot more details that go involved with that, obviously, but we're talking about
29:47starting at the bottom of the mountain all over again.
29:50And why is that important? Because you look at this roster, there wasn't significant personnel change.
29:55A lot of times teams win a Super Bowl and they lose a lot of guys to other teams.
30:00How important is it for you guys to stay fresh, knowing that you're pretty much roster intact?
30:06I mean, I think that's a big part of it, obviously, is keeping a lot of our roster the same.
30:12You know, we have a lot of the same guys that we went all the way with last year.
30:17But I think bigger than the, you know, who's on the players, bigger than the players that are here, I would say it's the culture.
30:25So keeping that culture alive is what's going to take us to that, to where we want to go again.
30:31And I think that's the biggest thing. Defensively, you guys were so good last year.
30:35And a lot of folks may say like, yeah, they still got a lot of young guys who are going to make this defense better.
30:43What about that guys like Devin, guys like Nick Eman, where you can get better?
30:47I mean, Devin, he's just like one of the heartbeats, engines of the team.
30:52Like his energy and his passion, the way he plays the game.
30:55Guys on the defense have no choice but to step up to that level.
30:59Because if he's playing at a certain level, you're going to stand out when you're not playing at that level.
31:05And that's the way our whole defense is. And, you know, having a Swiss Army knife like Nick Eman, worry really keeps
31:12offenses guessing because, you know, we can line up on, you know, we can line them up at safety, linebacker, D-line, anywhere you want.
31:19Really, he can do it all. And I think we just have a great combination of like older guys who, you know,
31:26we could pass our wisdom down to the young guys.
31:29And then we have young guys who are coming in with new talent, new ideas, new mottos.
31:34And it's just a great mix. Tomorrow night, you guys are going to get a little more jewelry.
31:39You're going to get your Super Bowl rings, man.
31:42What about that? Man, I can't wait. It's been a long time coming.
31:46I can't believe it's tomorrow. I feel like I'm going to sleep like on Christmas Eve right now, waking up tomorrow about to get my ring.
31:54Man, I'm excited. I get to see the guys.
31:56It's going to feel like a reunion from last season.
31:59I got to ask you this because every team does need its motivation.
32:03You guys win the Super Bowl, but people are saying because the Rams down the road, when it got Miles Garrett, AD
32:10may be coming back, that they're the favorites. What does that do?
32:14Does that add any fuel onto this rivalry you guys got going?
32:17I mean, for sure. I think that's something that, you know, we have out here in Seattle playing in the Pacific Northwest.
32:24We feel like we get overlooked a lot of times.
32:27So I feel like we already kind of have a chip on our shoulder.
32:31And even after winning the Super Bowl, we're still not considered favorites.
32:35So I think that's definitely stacking some chips on everybody's shoulders.
32:38And we're just saying, you know, watch out. All right.
32:41Appreciate you, man. Yes, sir. Thank you. We're also watching out for a particular battle at the running back position on the Seahawks.
32:48Michael F. Florio will let you know who will win these running back battles in camp and how that works for your fantasy roster.
32:55That's coming up next on The Insider. Back here on The Insider, let's go inside with Fantasy Live with NFL Fantasy's own Michael F.
33:02Florio back here in studio. Mike, everybody wants to get volume at value.
33:06So let's go through some of these running back battles starting in Pittsburgh.
33:10Who do we want? Rico Dattel or Jalen Warren?
33:13I think Rico Dattel. And shout out to researcher Laquan Jones, who really was the one hammering this home on our podcast.
33:19But Dattel spent the first five years of his NFL career with Mike McCarthy.
33:24And in his final year in Dallas, took over as a starter and ran for almost 1,100 yards.
33:29Now we know Jalen Warren is the incumbent, but I think Rico Dattel's experience with McCarthy gives him the upper hand in this battle.
33:36And don't forget, there was a stretch in Carolina last year where he just looked fantastic.
33:41But Dattel isn't the strongest receiver, which is where I think Warren shines.
33:45I think this backfield will operate a lot like last year, but instead of Warren being the early down back, he's the
33:51passing down back with Rico Dattel playing those early downs.
33:54To me though, for fantasy, they're both RB3 or flex options.
33:58And I'll be honest, I'm avoiding the Steelers offense if I can.
34:01And then you didn't think I was done hyping up Trevion Henderson last year, right?
34:06Is this even a conversation? Yeah, no, no, no.
34:09I think Henderson is going to come in and win the Patriots RB1 job.
34:13And let's not forget, in games last year where he had 15 or more touches, he averaged over 20 fantasy points per game.
34:20And he is faster than Stevenson. He averaged more yards on carries inside and outside.
34:24He forced more tackles. He was in a very effective goal line runner once they gave him the opportunity.
34:30The one thing that where Stevenson had him beat, he was better as a pass catcher and a receiver.
34:36But I have hope for Trevion because he was awesome in those regards in college.
34:40And he's even cheaper in drafts as of right now than he was a year ago.
34:45And then in Seattle, I'm excited for Jadarian Price.
34:48Like the Seahawks, first of all, ran the ball at the highest rate last season.
34:52So you're going to want pieces of this backfield.
34:55We know they lost Kenneth Walker. Charbonnet tore his ACL in mid-January.
34:58So I'm not so sure we're going to see him early on next year.
35:03And that would leave Price and Emmanuel Wilson and others competing for the RB1 spot.
35:07But I think the fact that they use a first-round pick on Price tells you what they think of him.
35:13And he's getting drafted in early drafts. It's like a low-end RB2, high-end RB3.
35:17That feels about right. The only caveat, he never caught more than six passes in a season in college.
35:23And we know if you can't catch passes, that limits your ceiling in fantasy.
35:27And we're going to find out more about him.
35:30We have the NFLPA hype video. But we're going to actually have video for Jadarian Price.
35:35There we go. Because he's playing behind a very good player in college.
35:39He'll get more chances to perhaps see some passes.
35:41Speaking of pass catchers, what's your favorite wide receiver battle fantasy-wise right now?
35:45I think, look, Christian Watson is a dog. And I love him.
35:49But I think there's a big battle for the number two spot in Green Bay between Jaden Reed and Matthew Golden.
35:55And I'm team Jaden Reed in this one because he got hurt last year in week two.
36:00And then it was two serious injuries. We really never saw him fully acclimated after that.
36:05But he is a unique skill set. I call him Wisconsin Debo.
36:09He is the kind of receiver you want to generate touches for.
36:12And don't forget, in the two years before last year, he was a top 30 fantasy wide receiver each year.
36:18Rated as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL.
36:22Meanwhile, Matthew Golden went for less than 370 yards and no touchdowns as a rookie.
36:26I know he controls his own fate. But history tells us you're not going to fare well as a first-round rookie who put up numbers like that.
36:34In fact, since 2010, Mike Williams is the only one to have real success after a rookie year like that.
36:40It's because he barely played as a rookie. Everyone else kind of struggled post-year one.
36:45Perhaps next year will be the year where the Packers wide receiver thing isn't necessarily a question.
36:50Let's go to tight ends. If you are not in the Trey McBride sweepstakes and you're bargain shopping, favorite tight end battle
36:57right now to kind of be that high-value spot.
36:59One that is going to take place right there.
37:02We can see so far from where we're sitting.
37:05And that is where Ronda Gatson does his work.
37:07That's where I think he wins the job this camp.
37:10Even though they don't have camp there. It's a little bit more south.
37:14But don't forget, like he showed us last year he could play when those wide receivers were banged up.
37:20He had a 164-yard game with a touchdown. But I expect the Chargers to throw even more with Mike McDaniel there.
37:26Like he also featured tight ends at a slightly higher rate than Greg Roman has traditionally.
37:31And Gatson rated metrically much better than David Njoku.
37:34My only concern here is could David Njoku steal those valuable red zone looks away?
37:38But even so, Gatson is getting drafted in that like low-end tight end one, high-end tight end two range.
37:44And the great thing there is you could pair him with a safe veteran like a Kelsey, a Mark Andrews.
37:50Take your pick. And then you kind of have a safe floor and an upside play at tight end.
37:56And something that pushes the ADP down. That name recognition where Njoku is going to go.
38:00Yeah. You want to talk about name recognition. It's Michael F.
38:04Florio. Patrick Claybos. What a great show. Great logo as well.
38:07Can't wait to see the Patriots in day two of mandatory minicamp.
38:11Today, Drake May taking his turn at the microphone.
38:13Listed some of his favorite things about new top target, A.J.
38:17Brown. Best thing about him, he's been a winner.
38:19You know, he knows what it's like to win.
38:22And he's had something in that room that you really, you know, kind of we were kind of looking for.
38:28And I think that's the best thing. You know, I think Steph provided it for us last year.
38:34And there's been guys that are growing in their roles.
38:37But just coming in with that stature and his ability and his size and just the respect that you walk in there with that kind of Steph had.
38:45A.J.'s got it, too. Respect going to the Minnesota Vikings defense of Brian Flores.
38:49They have demanded a lot of attention the last few years with versatile veteran defenders.
38:54One of them being safety Josh Metellus, who goes one-on-one with Tom Pellicero.
38:58Josh, first day of minicamp out here, the culmination of your offseason.
39:01Tell me what you see right now with the 2026 Vikings.
39:04I'm loving what I see right now. You know, as a team, this time is a learning period.
39:10But not only on the field, off the field, getting to learn your teammates.
39:14Long weekends, you know, you get guys to stick around.
39:17You know, so we start to spend some quality time outside the building with each other.
39:22Building that team chemistry, team bond. And it's showing out here on the grass when we come out here.
39:28We're able to get quick, you know, intentional work.
39:30You know, taking care of each other still. But still understanding, you know, what's at stake right now being so early in the offseason.
39:38But I'm liking what I'm seeing right now. We just got to keep going.
39:42Defensively, you guys were lights out toward the end of last season.
39:45I also know a lot of that defense, the checks and the calls went through Harrison Smith.
39:50He's not out here, at least for now. How are you guys adapting what you do on D?
39:56Yeah, I mean, a big part of it is just playing off what we did last year.
40:01I think to finish the year as a defense, we kind of figure out how we want to play with the group
40:08of guys that we have in our building, in our room.
40:11We know what we do well. And we showed that at the end of the season.
40:16So it's all about, you know, taking that next step and replacing, you know, the guys who aren't here.
40:21And, you know, finding what can we do to, you know, take our game to the next level.
40:27You know, Harry was a big part of that.
40:29But, you know, at the end of the day, we built this defense together as a group.
40:35And, you know, we all were here to see how he handled things.
40:38So it's easy to just throw the next man in and get the same thing handled.
40:43I know you saw him a couple of weeks ago.
40:46Do you have a hint? Do you have an inclination?
40:49Are you doing a sell job? Yeah, I'm doing my best sell job I can do.
40:54But at the end of the day, you know, you got to let a family man be a family man right now.
41:01All season, you know, he likes to golf. He likes to spend time with his kids and his wife.
41:06So, you know, I'm trying to let him do him.
41:09Once that time roll around, you know, and I got to press a little more, I'll do my pressing.
41:15But, hey, man, he's his own person. I let him be.
41:18Other side of the ball, you got Kyler Murray, J.J.
41:21McCarthy out here. It looked from today was pretty much a split in terms of the reps.
41:27What are you seeing in that competition from those guys?
41:30Two guys getting better. I think, you know, as DBs, we love competition.
41:33You know, we love that one-on-one, you know, feel kind of thing where you got to step up to the plate knowing, you know, it's on you.
41:42And I think in that quarterback room right now, you got not even just those two guys, but the whole room, you
41:48know, you got guys who can play ball. And you got guys who are pushing each other day in and day out,
41:55whether that's coming in split reps, whether that's in our little two-spot walkthroughs or whatever you want to call them.
42:01You know, you see guys are going about reps very intentional and it's elevating the room and that's all we can ask for.
42:08Thanks, Josh. Normally on Wednesdays, we get to see Brian Baldinger.
42:11He is on vacation and also on an elephant.
42:14This video coming courtesy filmed by Brian Baldinger is Baldy on an elephant.
42:18J.D. Batista. Look at that. He is the travel dog.
42:21That a moniker that Baldy goes by. We get to see him there doing his travel dog thing.
42:26I want the travel dog to be my travel agent.
42:29Baldy takes such great, every year Baldy is on one of these amazing trips.
42:33Can you imagine that? I mean, I can't wait until he gets home.
42:37You know, I partially blame myself on this because I wondered the other day to myself, I wonder what Baldy's doing.
42:43We haven't seen him in a little bit. Now I get our answer.
42:47He's on an elephant, Mike. Yeah. Baldy's big boys just got a new, like that's a segment that he does every year around the draft.
42:55I think we got two more for him to break down right here.
42:59You just know, like to everybody around, he gave a spectacular breakdown about the elephants, the way that they converted that energy getting into that water.
43:07It's great stuff. Glad we get to share Baldy with the world.
43:10Honestly. Every awesome. What a life. Thanks so much to me, Exiters.
43:14We'll be back tomorrow. Good night, everybody. This is an iHeart Podcast.
43:17Guaranteed human.
